Strains & Sprains - Safe Lifting

As we discussed last week, strains & sprains are the most common types of injuries being reported to us.  Most reported strain & sprain injuries are due, in large part, to lifting and moving patients and fire equipment.  Luckily, the bulk of those injuries (67%) are minor and the individuals are not missing work.  But the other 33% are serious injuries, causing firefighters to miss work.  Missed work, due to injuries, costs everyone a great deal, so avoiding these are best for the whole department.   The majority of the serious injuries are to the back, followed closely by knee, shoulder and ankle injuries.  

Injuries by Body Parts, Serious vs. Minor (2011) - click to enlarge

  

Backs, shoulders, and knees are being injured while lifting patients.  Here are some examples of these types of injuries that have been reported to us:

“Lifting stretcher with patient into ambulance, strained lower back.”

“Back strain off-loading patient onto hospital bed.”

“Lifting a patient and strained left knee.”

“Assisting moving a patient from bed to stretcher.  He had pain in shoulder.”

Here are some other examples of the lifting injuries that have been reported to us:

“Fire fighter was loading gear on the truck and twisted knee.”

“Fire Fighter was loading rehab supplies, lifted a case of water and injured shoulder.”

“Fire fighter was assisting with the loading of 5” hose.  As he grabbed the hose and hoisted it above his shoulder and took a few steps, he felt pain in the middle of his back.”

“Fire fighter strained back while pulling hose line for fire attack.”

“During structure fire while pulling ceiling with pike pole, fire fighter felt pain in shoulder.”

“Fire fighter injured upper back lifting exhaust fan from ground.”

Lifting injuries occur when you lift something larger than what your body can handle.  Avoiding such lifting is nearly impossible in your line of work.  Finding ways to lift heavy objects safely is paramount.  While your departments can create back safety programs, the responsibility of protecting your back lands squarely…well, on your back.

Most of these injuries can be avoided by practicing safe lifting techniques, such as: 

• Lift with your legs, keeping your back straight 
• Maintain strong leg and arm muscles to assist with this. 
• Pivot, don’t twist. 
• Maintain strong ab and lower back muscles so they don’t get hurt if you end up using them. 
• Lift on stable and level ground. 
• Move smoothly, avoiding jerky movements. 
• Think before you lift – develop a lift strategy.
  

Finally, lifting injuries can be acute and temporarily painful, and they can also be chronic and lead to long-term problems later in life.  You may not feel injured, but if you are consistently lifting heavy objects improperly, your body might feel it later.  It’s time to get your team trained on proper lifting techniques!

TCFP Library videos to help you prevent injuries while lifting:

• BACK INJURY PREVENTION
• PATIENT HANDLING
• PROPER LIFTING TECHNIQUES - KEEPING YOUR WORKPLACE SAFE
• STEPS FOR SAFE LIFTING AND CARRYING

Additional online resources:

• Proper lifting techniques (Mayo Clinic)
• Patient lifting and moving (Video)
• Back Exercises(Patient Education Institute)
• Back Pain - How to Prevent(Patient Education Institute)

How often do you see these types of injuries at your departments?

Be honest, do you practice safe lifting techniques?